Serwex Mb - Parker Converter?

[grainweevil]

This is probably a daft question, but while I read everywhere that the Serwex MB's converter is a "Parker type", I can't seem to find out for sure if anyone's actually tried a Parker converter in it. Could some nice person with both have a quick look for me? I like the Serwex very well, but I suspect I will be falling out of love with that converter in quick time and would be happy to know there's an alternative out there if my patience finally snaps.

 

Thanks, Al

[mhguda]

I think they mean the slide converter. The mouth is slightly narrower than a Parker cartridge's. However, I tried a Parker cartridge in my Serwex MB and I do seem to get flow. Thanks for the idea, BTW - I may leave the cartridge in, as it contains much more ink than the crummy slide converter. Be aware that it is somewhat of a tight fit - you really have to push to make sure it's seated. And, I suspect that tight fit is your guarantee of a good seal.

Good luck!

 

Edited with an update: Sorry, no go. When I looked, the tube to carry the ink to the nib does not reach the seal on the cartridge - so I did get a good fit, and must have been using up ink in the feeder. But no new ink reaches the nib & feed. So it's standard cartridges or the slide converter it came with... or maybe a twist converter?

Sorry...

Edited October 14, 2013 by mhguda

[grainweevil]

Thanks so much for looking, mhguda. Much appreciated.

 

It prompted me to have another look, and while what I thought was a international standard converter that I tried first didn't fit (prompting me to assume the Serwex wasn't standard), the international standard cartridge that came in my Pilot MR apparently does. So naturally I tried another standard cartridge, and joy, that didn't. Oi vey. Clearly I need to hit the archives and educate myself better on all things cartridge and convertery, 'cos this is a whole new definition of "standard" that I don't know!

 

Cheers, Al

[mhguda]

How does it not fit? I find that international standard cartridges all have the same nipple opening, but sometimes one has a slightly wider diameter in the rest of the body, and that might make it a very tight fit in the Serwex MB barrel? I also noted just now that the international slide converters (what you called Parker-like) are slightly shorter than the turn converters. And I think they just fit the Serwex barrel, lengthwise. I guess you could keep trying a number of international cartridges. I do think the standard ones should fit, unless your Serwex is different from mine. In which case the nipple may be Parker-size and a Parker cartridge should fit...

 

So, good luck,and I'm curious how you will eventually make it work...

[grainweevil]

I'm curious how you will eventually make it work...

 

So am I!

 

Perhaps I'm being too cautious, because I can't get the mouth of the converter/non-fitting cartridge to fit over the - er, technical term knowledge failure - tube wotsit that allows the ink up to the feed. Maybe it's more of a tight fit than I'm allowing for in my desire not break anything and I must take a firmer line with it. I'll take another run at it some time.

 

Cheers, Al

 

Edit: Okay, turns out I'm an international standard in pathetic! I was braver, pushed the converter more firmly, and I think we have success. I've not actually tried it with ink, because naturally the original slide converter has taken this as a challenge and is now working beautifully, but if I make the switch and find it doesn't work, I'll update again for anyone who might look for this info in the future.

 

Thanks for your help, mhguda - it all gave me the necessary push to, well, push!

Edited October 15, 2013 by grainweevil

[mhguda]

You are certainly welcome, but could you clarify a bit for me, please? because I don't quite understand. You pushed the converter in and got it seated, but you have not inked the pen yet? And is this the slide converter?

Or am I completely misunderstanding and you have another converter in there, not the slide converter? And, what about the cartridge?

 

My Serwex came with a slide converter installed. It's not the best converter in the world, the piston is very hard to move, but it does fit correctly and it does work. I am now very curious what you have in your pen, and if it actually takes up ink and doses ink to the nib and feed so you can actually write...

[grainweevil]

Right, sorry.

 

It came with the slide converter - which worked absolutely fine to start with, then got a little unhappy - and as I flushed it through for the third time to try and make it happy, I thought "Wouldn't a screw-action converter be preferable in this situation?" So I tried fitting the standard converter I had spare, which did not appear to fit. So I assumed "Parker type" meant it was actually going to demand a Parker converter - hence my initial post.

 

So after this thread, I realised I probably had the right idea in the first place, but just wasn't firm enough in pushing the replacement converter into the pen. So now I have managed to make the international standard, screw-type converter fit in the Serwex - but I haven't actually tried it with ink. I see no reason why it shouldn't work, but as the slide converter that came with it is now working beautifully again I won't be swapping it out just yet. For the same reason, I haven't tried a cartridge with ink either.

 

Hopefully that's clarified. The Serwex, I'm happy to say, is writing beautifully. With the converter it came with.

 

Cheers, Al

[mhguda]

Thanks, Al, yes that clears it up fine. Because of your question, I got out my Serwex again, and find that while the slide converter works correctly it is devilishly difficult to move the piston, even after lubricating. Thanks to the experiments your question suggested, once the present ink fill is gone, I am going to try either a double length cartridge (more ink!) or a twist action converter (slightly more ink and easier to handle).

So we both profited from the exchange...

 

It is a very nice pen. Enjoy!